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Infected Blister?
How To Tell &
What To Do About
It
If you suspect you've got an infected blister
on your foot, there are tell-tale signs to look
for. Find out what they are, and what to do
about it.

 14 July 2019  Infection

If getting a blister isn’t bad enough, the last

thing you need is for it to get infected. An
infected blister gets worse before it gets
better. It becomes red and painful, takes
longer to heal, and as you’ll see at the end
of this article, can lead to some very nasty
consequences.

What Does A
“Healthy” Blister
Look Like?
A normal healthy blister contains thin
watery blister fluid that is colourless or a
very light yellow colour. Blister fluid will be
pink or red in the case of a blood blister.
However, pink/red doesn’t mean your blister
is infected. All it means is damage has
occurred to a small blood vessel and blood
has leaked into the blister. Rest assured,
these blister presentations are considered
normal and uninfected.

Normal (non-infected) blister fluid is thin

and clear, like this.

What Does An
Infected Blister
Look Like?
There are some tell-tale signs that your
blister is infected.

Pus: Instead of thin colourless blister

fluid, an infected blister contains a
thicker cloudy yellow or green fluid
called pus.
Redness: The immediate area of skin
around the blister is often red, and in
fact, this redness worsens over time.
Swelling: The immediate area of skin
around the blister may be a bit puffy.
Again, this swelling worsens over time
when there is infection.
Pain: There will likely be increased
tenderness that gets worse rather
than better over time.

See how the blister fluid here is yellow – this

is actually pus. Pus occurs when there is
bacterial infection.

How To Treat An
Infected Blister
Most infected blisters can be successfully
treated at home without the need for
medical consultation. It’s very easy to do
yourself. All you need is the right products
and diligence in monitoring your blister for
changes. Here’s what you need to know…

Products You’ll Need:

Clean Hands

Wash with soap and water or rubbing

alcohol

Sterile Lancing Implement

I like using a scalpel blade or hypodermic

needle. Don’t use a heated pin or sewing
needle over a flame for these reasons.

Cotton Buds

To gently ease any blister fluid out, to wipe

debris from your blister and to apply your
antiseptic / antibiotic.

Cottonwool or Gauze

To wipe debris from your blister, soak up any

blister fluids and dry your blister before
applying your dressing.

Antiseptic or Antibiotic

Either antiseptic solution such as povidone

iodine, or antibiotic ointment such as
Neosporin. Along with your body’s immune
system, these products will kill the germs in
your blister.

Island Dressings

To protect the blistered skin and keep new

germs out.

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Treatment Procedure For

Intact, Torn or Deroofed
Blisters

If Your Infected Blister Is Deroofed:

Simply wipe any debris away, apply your

antiseptic/antibiotic and cover it with an
island dressing. Don’t forget, we’ll be
monitoring it closely over the next few days.

If Your Infected Blister Is Torn:

Be sure to remove as much debris as you

can from under your remaining blister roof.
This debris is harbouring the very bacteria
you are trying to kill. Physically removing it is
a high priority. Make sure your
antiseptic/antibiotic gets into all the nooks
and crannies under your blister roof. I like to
use a liquid for this reason.

If Your Infected Blister Is Intact And

Full Of Pus:

It is advisable to lance and drain the

infected blister, and then follow the above
steps. I have several blister lancing videos
here showing you how to perform the
procedure easily, safely and painlessly.

The Importance Of
Monitoring Your
Infection
Your infection won’t clear up immediately
after one episode of the above procedures.
In fact, the infection may not clear at all.
That’s why we have to monitor our infected
blisters closely and repeat the above
procedures.

How often? Twice a day should be enough.

Change your dressing more often in the
following situations:

Your Dressing Gets Wet:

The last thing you need is a soggy dressing

sitting on your infected blister all day. Take
the wet one off, apply some more
antiseptic/antibiotic and put a nice clean
one on.

You Notice Strikethrough:

Strikethrough is evident when your blister

exudates (fluid, pus, blood etc) have soaked
right through the island of your dressing. As
soon as strikethough happens, bacteria can
travel through your dressing. Take the dirty
one off, apply some more
antiseptic/antibiotic and put a nice clean
one on.

When Medical
Urgency Is
Required
Infected blisters can morph into a more
urgent situation that requires medical
attention. At this point, you’ve not managed
to get on top of this infection. The infection
is spreading from the immediate area to
involve other bodily systems and functions.
You need to see a doctor *today* with your
infected blister if:

After 3 days your blisters continue to

become more red, swollen, painful and
weepy.
You see reddish streaks radiating from
your blister.
You have a fever or chills

Possible Complications

An unchecked blister infection can lead to

serious health conditions. People have
actually died or lost limbs due to infected
blisters. President Coolidge’s son Calvin Jr.
died at 16 years of age in 1924 due to an
infected blister on the top of his 3rd toe
right foot from playing tennis with his
brother. At this time, penicillin was yet to be
discovered. But antibiotics are around today
so there’s no excuse for sitting on your
hands while your infected blister gets worse
and worse. In the modern day, many famous
people, from models to sports stars, have
felt the effects of blisters that get infected.
Here’s an example from Kate Miller-Heidke
on Twitter after Eurovision:

For anyone interested, I was

diagnosed with cellulitis
resulting from an infected
blister. It’s the exact same
disease Hilary Swank got
while training for Million-
Dollar baby so it’s definitely
the most glamorous foot
infection going around.

And blisters are often the starting point of

an amputation in people with diabetes and
peripheral neuropathy.

Here’s what you need to know…

Cellulitis:

Cellulitis is a serious and painful skin

infection that occurs when bacteria
penetrate into deeper layers of the skin. It
often requires hospitalisation and oral or
intravenous antibiotics. At this stage, you’ll
be starting to feel unwell. And it’s only going
to get worse during the following
escalations.

Cellulitis (Flickr mikeblamires/125281197) –

The black line has been dawn. With cellulitis,
the demarkation between affected and
unaffected skin is often quite definite.

Lymphangitis:

Red streaks around your blister indicate

lymphangitis. This isn’t blood-borne
infection, but the infection is starting to
spread into the superficial lymphatic
vessels. This is a warning that you need to
see a doctor about this infection today. If
you don’t, the following more serious health
conditions may result.

Lymphangitis – red streaks eminating from

the source of the infection (James Heilman,
MD)

Bacteremia:

This is the medical term for blood-borne

infection. The bacteria have entered the
bloodstream and now passing through your
organs. Clearly, this is not good. At this
stage, you’re really crook, and you’re feeling
it!

Sepsis:

By now, you are drastically unwell! In fact

you might not know much about anything at
this stage due to your altered mental state,
along with the fever, low body temperature,
rapid heartbeat and breathing difficulties.
These symptoms are all part of the
infection’s assault on your organs. Urgent
specialist medical care is required. Call an
ambulance!

Moral Of The Story

Look after your blisters, people!

Give Your Blister Excellent

First Aid

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About The Author

Rebecca Rushton BSc(Pod)

Podiatrist, blister prone ex-hockey player, foot

blister thought-leader, author and educator. Can’t
cook. Loves test cricket.

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Comments

24 Comments
Carina rosales 7 July 2021 at 9:52 am - Reply

Yes I have an infected blister it got

more red and swollen its painful I
need to see a doctor

Rebecca Rushton BSc(Pod) 7 July

2021 at 10:53 am - Reply

Go for it. All the best!

Emily Yago 3 August 2021 at 9:59 pm - Reply

Is there a way to cure a small

infected blister without draining
it? I don’t like needles and I’m too
busy to be able to let a popped
blister heal.

Rebecca Rushton BSc(Pod) 4 August

2021 at 7:44 am - Reply

Yes, leave it be and let

mother nature do her thing. If
it’s small and you can take
away the blister-causing
forces so it doesn’t recur,
your immune system will fight
it and resolve it. And if for
some reason it doesn’t and it
gets worse, this article has
shown you how to recognise
that and what to do about it.

Hope this helps, Emily :)

Emily Yago 4 August 2021 at

7:47 am - Reply

Thank you! One more

question, though!

What’s going on if it
doesn’t change? It’s
small but it isn’t getting
bigger nor smaller?

Thank you so much!

Rebecca Rushton
BSc(Pod) 4 August

2021 at 7:52 am - Reply